Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Independence Day At Our Nation's Capital

Many people can look at our daily itinerary and see that our
4th of July is full of relaxation compared to our busy college tour
schedules. While it was quite an adventurous day, full of new sights and
information, it was quite tiring and not quite relaxing. We kicked off our day
with another continental breakfast, then took a bus ride to explore the
monuments and tourist spots at Washington D.C.

Unfortunately, the blazing heat hit us right from the start
of our day. Regardless, we took many photos to capture this wonderful opportunity of
spending Independence Day in our nation's capital. From monuments to the
White House, we made sure we documented this rare trip with our lovely cameras.
It was my first time to see everything, and I enjoyed how beautiful everything
looked.

The Washington Monument!

The White House!

We then decided to watch a snippet of the 4th of
July parade near the National Mall. I was amazed to see the many marching bands
that participated. Being the upcoming drum major of my school’s marching band,
I paid close attention to the different bands. Some were very large, some
played very well, some had different marching formations, and one band was just
a little off step. Even though my band may not be able to participate in a
parade like this, it gave me a little push to improve it. I commend the
marching bands for playing in such hot weather, and thankfully there were
adults squiggling around the band, squirting water into mouths that were
dehydrated.

After a brief parade watch, we took a walk to the United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I was really thankful when we entered
buildings because they were very well air-conditioned. I was touched as I
walked through the Daniel’s Story exhibit. It was a story about a young Jew,
who experienced the oppression of genocide, but amazingly survived the
concentration camps. I walked through a replica of his home and read his
diary entries. Overall, I was saddened by how much torture Jews experienced,
but enlightened by the fact that although it has passed, people are working now
to prevent genocide.The Holocaust Museum provides an opportunity for people to help those who are affected by racial persecution by educating them on the issues and problems of genocide.Its efforts
to change the world are touching and inspiring. The experience was very
overwhelming as a lot of information was to be taken in regarding the
Holocaust. You could spend a whole day at the museum just looking and reading
everything, and boy would you be astounded to see the real bunk beds used in
concentration camps, and the shoes that were worn by the Jews.

With much more to see on a full stomach from lunch, we then
walked to the Air and Space Museum, just one of the many sections of the
Smithsonian Museum. I enjoyed seeing the many planes hanging from the ceiling,
especially the very first airplane built by the Wright Brothers. I couldn’t
believe it was really the actual plane! Without them, we wouldn’t be where we
are today! We also watched a show called Journey of the Stars in the planetarium. Because I don’t think I will ever
become an astronaut, this experience was the closest I will ever get to the
stars. It was very beautiful, and it felt like I was actually spinning in the
galaxy.

The Wright Brothers plane!

Out of the past three days we have been traveling, this was
definitely the hottest. I was sweating like crazy and it was not fun at all.
We took a long walk to the National Mall through the crowded festival, and
ended up sitting in front of the Washington Monument to get a good view of the
fireworks.

As we sat, relaxing on the grass, I taught my cohort the
word game called Contact. At first it took them a couple of tries
to understand the game, but by the end even our chaperone Mr. Mannix joined
in. We had some good laughs and had an expanded vocabulary word bank.

The day ended with a brilliant fireworks show. The entire
National Mall was completely filled with people, and of course it was the best
fireworks show I have seen. We had a great view with the fireworks being right
above us. It covered a large part of the sky, and the finale was a beautiful sight
of continuous pops and booms. Amidst the large crowd we managed to arrive
safely back at our hotel. We each ended our night with a nice cold shower and
freshly baked pizza. I’m exhausted, but excited for the college tour of Georgetown
University tomorrow!

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THE COURSES WE'LL BE TAKING

For a 3 week period between July 8th thru 27th we will be taking the following courses:

Lived Religion: The Abrahamic Faiths

Chris will dig deeper into the study of the monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and have the opportunity to explore local religious communities to learn more about the practices of these different faiths and open their minds to three of the most widely practiced religions around the world.

Pharmacology: How Drugs Work

Yessenia and Hannah Lee will study the origins, properties, and effects of prescription and non-prescription drugs. By visiting campus labs Yessenia and her classmates will examine an array of subjects such as exactly how insulin regulates blood levels and the actual process of discovering new drugs

Yessenia will also be able to examine and discuss the moral and sociological dilemmas and controversies involving the characteristics of different medicines and how their nature has affected our world throughout the years. Yessenia is thrilled to study this exciting and intriguing class that will help her gain new perspectives on the drugs used on a daily basis.

Mystery Writing

Narges will learn about the elements of mystery writing in various works of literature. She will read classic and contemporary examples of mysteries and produce an original mystery story of her own. Narges looks forward to learning more about mysteries and adapting a new style of writing. Narges hopes to produce a thrilling mystery story rivaling those of her favorite mystery writer: the one and only Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.